10 Questions With Mike Vaccaro

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Posted on 02.05.09 4:07 AM UTC

2. Tyree vs. Holmes

RCS: Included in that fantastic 4th quarter, of course, was the Santonio Holmes catch, about which you wrote, "Somehow, defying the laws of gravity and balance, Holmes' feet smooched the red turf half an eye blink before he was plowed out of bounds." A game-winning touchdown with less than a minute left in the Super Bowl is impressive, but was it better than David Tyree's helmet-catch last year?

Vaccaro: I think what we all tend to forget about that Tyree play was the start of that play, when Eli Manning -- Earth's most immobile quarterback -- avoided a crushing Pats rush. I mean, in the press box it looked like he was dead, and suddenly here he was, heaving the ball downfield. That alone was remarkable. And forget the crazy nature of the catch -- don't forget he was being covered by Rodney Harrison, and for one of the few times in his life, Harrison was unable to just pummel a guy as prone as Tyree was. Start to finish, I think it was every bit as incredible as the interception return that closed the half Sunday …

… But …

The fact is, Holmes' catch WON THE SUPER BOWL, so to me it belongs in a higher category, same as I thought Plaxico Burress’ catch last year deserved higher mention than Tyree's. And the fact that Holmes' catch was as acrobatic as it was … well, that cinches it for me.